#faction: baddies

[allelitewrestlings]

#renee paquette #jade cargill #wrestlingedit #aewedit #aew #aew dynamite #tv: dynamite #dynamite: s05e12 #ours: gifs #maker: s #* #faction: baddies

[assumptionprime]

I need to rant about the Fallout show

Because this is the person I am. Full spoilers, so I’m putting it behind a Keep Reading:

I’m a huge sucker for Fallout (yes even 3&4). And I went into the Fallout show with some… trepidation. Amazon has been a mixed bag on adaptations, we could have been blessed with a Good Omens, or cursed by a Rings of Power. But early buzz and reviews seemed positive, so I slammed the whole thing in one night with my spouse (we were staying at my in-laws house and they have Prime. Time was a factor.)

And y’know? I was really enjoying it! The characters were fun, the plot was engaging enough, and the costumes and visual design were extremely on point. There were some minor lore quibbles to be had: Ghouls needing some kind of medicine to not go feral. Really, more Enclave holdouts? Timeline and date whoopsies. Wait are they in California? Where the hell is the NCR?

I made a face at Shady Sands being bombed and the NCR collapsing. But I wasn’t completely out of the story. Based on what I had seen so far, I thought it was building to a reveal that the Brotherhood had done it. That the more zealous turn they took in Fallout 4, which has clearly carried to how they are portrayed in the show, lead them to bombing the NCR. War never changes, as they say. Maximus even says when asked what happened to Shady Sands: “The same thing that always happens.” Yeah, it leans into Bethesda’s weird desire to keep the Fallout world in a state of perpetual wastelands full of raiders and no civilization, but it wasn’t so terrible that I couldn’t still enjoy the show.

But then.

BUT THEN.

Episode 8, and the reveal of Vault-Tec apparently being the ones who dropped the first bomb in the Great War.

I was surprised to hear that some fans have apparently been debating over who fired first? Some even asked Tim Cain about it?

That’s really odd to me because, in the games, there is already a pretty definitive answer to which side sparked the Great War:

Who fucking cares?

The world ended. What does it matter who shot first?

There is no China, no United States, no communists or capitalists left to fight about it. 

It's a powerful little bit of lore.

For all the posturing, all the promises from each nation that their way is the true way, all the nationalism, the militarism, and blind loyalty to flags over humanity, they both lost. Everyone lost. All that remains of the ideologies and nations that were so important to the people of 2077 is faint echoes over vast expanses of radioactive ash.

Who started the end?

No one knows. No one cares.

It only matters that their conflict was so bitter, so all-consuming, that one of them dropped their bombs, and the other dropped theirs in return.

The truest legacy of the old world is the devastation left by their final, most horrific war.

Can we do better?

Then the show says "Nah, Vault-Tec did it. It's not a commentary on human nature and the futility of self-destructive conflict, it was actually these guys, these mustache twirling villains huddled in a darkened room literally plotting to end the whole world so they can rule what's left."

And I can see the attempt to make this a critique of capitalism. I actually paused the show to praise a bit of writing when Coop is talking with Charlie before the war, when Charlie tells him that the “cattle ranchers are in charge” to illustrate how capitalism and corporations hold too much sway over the government, it felt very in line with how in New Vegas one of the recurring critiques of the NCR is that all the real power is in the hands of the “brahmin barons.” Nice parallel, spot on!

But “we’ll set off total thermonuclear war so we can rule the ashes and have a True Monopoly” isn’t capitalism. It’s just dumb “we’re the baddies” writing.

And then Shady Sands was also Vault-Tec?! Forget any meaning in the NCR falling to the same corruption and/or factional fighting that consumed the old world, they were literally just bombed by the evil shadow conspiracy that apparently also killed the old world. Hank gives this speech about factions fighting and the futility of it all while we see the Brotherhood fighting Moldaver’s NCR remnant, and like, no! You can’t say that when you’ve made it so neither the old world or the NCR fell to war with another faction! It was you! You and your band of cryogenic supervillains!

I don't care that they changed it. Timelines and dates and little retcons don’t bother me all that much. I care that they changed it to something so much worse.

#fallout #fallout tv show #fallout spoilers #nerdy rant about shit that doesn't actually matter but has been stewing in my head for a week now

[vibrantbirdy]

Hiii. Firstly, I just want to say how much I LOVE your work. I think you’re fantastic!

I was hoping to request an Obi-Wan Kenobi x Senator or Princess female reader (always a sucker for this). Maybe Clone wars or pre- ending of Revenge of the Sith. Peppered with Obi-Wan denying his feelings for the sake of the Jedi code, and then confessing true emotions in the Kenobi series era. (gotta love angst with some feels after a whole lot of yearning).

Thank you so much 💙

Thank you so much for your kind words and this wonderful request. I was so excited to write for Obi-Wan as it's been years since I have, and it's really cool to write for him in the wake of the Kenobi series. So thank you for this lovely prompt and I hope this is the sort of thing you were looking for.

(Requests for Character x Reader fics are currently open in my Asks. Please read the guidelines first.)

(Masterlist of my fics can be found here.)

Title: Relics Fandom: Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga Setting: Pre the Phantom Menace to post the Kenobi Series. Genres: Sci-fi; Romance; Minor Angst Warnings: mild/moderate sexuality; mild references to Reader family losses due to old age; mild references to the Empire being baddies and doing baddie things Pairing: Obi-Wan Kenobi x Princess Female Reader Chapters: 1/1 (Complete) Word Count: c.5k Author's Note: It's late and I need to proofread this properly, sorry for any mistakes in the mean time!

Summary: You and Obi-Wan Kenobi have a connection that spans decades as your lives intersect throughout the years. Will you find each other again in the most unlikely of places?

Now

Inevitably, the Empire discovered that you have been siphoning off funds to various Rebel factions across the Galaxy for years. As Queen of Vitis, you planned to stay on your home world and face the consequences of defying the Imperial tyrants with your people.

But your Bodyguard, loyal to a fault, had other ideas. The night before an Imperial delegation was set to arrive, your Captain of the Guard, Old Paltrum, hired a bounty hunter to abduct you from your chambers in the middle of the night and drop you off somewhere "safe." This apparently meant any random, obscure world in the Outer Rim of the mercenary's choosing.

Seemingly, the desert planet of Tatooine was the farthest flung rock in the Galaxy that the brute could think of.

At night, you dream of home. Of Vitis. A beautiful planet, full of lush forests and green meadows where wildflowers gleam through the grass like little jewels.

Too often, these dreams turn to nightmares and you watch, helpless, as the rivers run red with the blood of your people and the Imperial flag flies like Death's victory banner above the royal citadel.

You fear you'll forever be known as the Vitisian Queen who abandoned her subjects in their most desperate hour of need.

Tatooine is not like home. The heat during the day is a constant, inescapable blanket of oppression. No matter what you do, the sand works its way into your eyes, between your teeth, into your clothes and tracks its way all the way through the small one room home you managed to purchase with the few credits Paltrum obviously appropriated for you from the palace treasury. And you are always so thirsty, no matter how much water you consume.

Still, you have been on the desert planet for almost three months now, and despite your belligerent determination not to, you are beginning to settle and acclimatise. Slowly.

You like Tatooine best in the evening, just as dusk falls. It's cooler and there is a rare, strange beauty to be found as the twin suns set in the sky which turns from blood red to pink to purple and finally to a deep, midnight blue.

You make your living selling the clothing you make at the stall you have acquired in the market in Mos Eisley. It is mid-afternoon when you catch sight of a man you know walking across the far side of the square. You jump up from your stool, knocking it over in your haste and sending your weaving unravelling to the floor.

Ducking and weaving and apologising to the people you bump into, you track the man making his way across the market through the obstructions of clothing and clutter and trinkets hanging from the stalls of your neighbours' and your own.

Your heart leaps. It is him. Obi-Wan Kenobi.

What is he doing here? Of all places.

You want to run to him, to call out his name but something stops you.

He looks older. Of course he does, it's been over a decade since you last saw him. But that's not it.

The Obi-Wan you remember carried himself with a charismatic air of confidence which, on other men, could easily have been perceived as arrogance. But Kenobi was always able to temper this with his good humour and dignified manner.

Now, he looks downtrodden, smaller, as if he's been on Tatooine so long that the years have started to grind him into the sand. His once well kempt hair and beard are scruffy and his dirty, torn clothes are little more than rags.

You are suddenly struck by the idea that he might not want you to see him like this. Then, you think about what happened to the Jedi Order and the rumoured purge said to have been commanded by the Emperor himself.

Obi-Wan must be in exile or in hiding. Just like you.

With this revelation, you are paralysed by indecision. By the time you come to the realisation that you can't let this chance to reunite with him slip away, he is already gone.

***************************************************

30 years ago

The Republic have sent a diplomatic envoy to Vitis to discuss with leading politicians from the surrounding worlds the increasing Separatist pressure on the system's trade routes. The delegation of two Jedi, Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his young apprentice, Obi-Wan Kenobi, arrive at the Vitisian royal citadel early in the morning.

Although you really think you should be sitting at the table with the other delegates, you've reluctantly agreed with the wishes of your parents, the King and Queen, to show Obi-Wan the palace grounds and some of the countryside beyond.

He's a young man about your age, probably eighteen or nineteen. Upon first introduction, you get the distinct impression that he feels like he should be present at the discussions too. But, following a brief period of stilted conversation as you lead him through the palace and out into the lush gardens, it quickly becomes apparent that you and Obi-Wan just click. Any interest in trade or commerce is soon forgotten by both of you.

When he speaks, his pronunciation is clipped and proper, but his voice is full of a charming vitality. He has a graceful, purposeful physicality and moves his body with a self-assuredness many young men his age don't seem to possess quite yet. And he's handsome. He has an open, honest face with well-proportioned features, adored with two impossibly bright blue eyes. He has sandy coloured hair which, apart from a small pony tail at the back of his head and a long, thin braid that runs down behind his ear and to his chest, is cropped short.

As you walk through Vitis's lush, green surroundings together, the conversations flows easily. You notice that he has a perpetual, good-natured smirk on his face, as if he constantly has an amusing quip on the tip of his tongue. Sometimes he speaks these out loud and his blue eyes twinkle with mischief.

His little barbs are never unkind. In fact, you find it refreshing, the way he makes you think on your feet in an effort to fire out your own witty retorts.

One time, you're too slow to think of anything clever to say, so all you can think to do is to pull, gently, at the strange braid affixed to the side of his head.

"What's this?"

What's what?" He asks with mock ignorance, and you shove him playfully.

"It's my Padawan braid," he explains, "It signifies that I'm not yet a Jedi. Once I've completed the trials, I'll cut it off as part of the ceremony when I become a Knight."

"Oh," you say, faltering.

It all sounds rather meaningful and symbolic.

"I'm sorry, maybe I shouldn't have..."

He smiles reassuringly.

"It's ok, I have a bad habit of tugging at it myself when I'm nervous."

Hours have passed and you've wandered all the way through the grounds as far as the great lake before either of you notice the time. You take the short cut back through the woods and past the gargantuan Whispering Tree, which stands sentinel like a great, leafy guardian on the border of the royal forest.

Obi-Wan stops to admire the tree, his eyes following its massive trunk and he cranes his neck in a futile attempt to try and get a glimpse of the top as it disappears into the canopy. The tree is putting on a magnificent show today. Its peculiar white leaves are dazzling in the sunlight and the pale silver bark shines like precious metal.

"What is it?" he asks, his voice filled with awe, "I've never seen a tree like it."

"It's called the Whispering Tree because of the noise it makes in the wind. It sounds like someone speaking. It's the only one left of its kind - a white Vitisian Birch. Traditionally, first born royal daughters are charged with its care," you run a hand against the smooth bark fondly," and that happens to be me."

Obi-Wan smiles almost absent-mindedly as he presses his palm against the tree and closes his eyes.

"Are you talking to it? Using the Force?" You ask, excitedly, "What's it saying?"

"That's not how it works," he chuckles, but he stops immediately as he sees your cheeks redden and realises that you're embarrassed.

"Uh, but if it could talk," he continues, earnestly, "It would say that it feels very lucky to have someone like you to care for it."

You beam widely at him and, unable to stop yourself, you lean in and plant an impulsive kiss on his lips. At first, he stiffens, his eyes wide in surprise, but then he seems to melt into you and you feel a thrill of excitement course through you as his lips start to move against yours.

"Obi-Wan!" A stern voice makes you both jump and you leap away from each other as if you've been electrocuted.

The tall figure of Obi-Wan's mentor is striding towards where you are standing at the tree line, his Jedi robes and long silver hair billowing in the breeze together making him seem even bigger and more imposing.

"Master Qui-Gon..."

"You were supposed to escort the Princess to dinner an hour ago!"

"I know, Master, I'm sorry..."

Obi-Wan starts to explain, but Qui-Gon Jinn cuts him off abruptly.

"I don't want to hear it."

Side by side, you and Obi-Wan traipse silently back to the palace behind Master Jinn. You find yourself having to scurry to keep up with his long strides, but Obi-Wan appears to be used to it.

He looks rather crestfallen following Qui-Gon's admonishment, and you reach out to touch the back of his hand lightly with your own. At first, he doesn't look at you, instead just allowing the corners of his mouth to lift slightly as he runs his knuckles back and forth against your own.

Then, you exchange a sheepish, secret smile, behind Master Jinn's back, before breaking the touch and you both return your gaze to the ground with suitably chastised expressions.

--------------------------------------------------------

It becomes apparent over dinner that Master Jinn, mercifully, has not informed your parents of your little indiscretion with Obi-Wan. You don't know what story he has concocted to explain your tardiness, but you are grateful for it.

Over the course of the evening, as you observe him, you realise that Qui-Gon Jinn is a kind man. Although he appears slightly terse with Obi-Wan to begin with, his manner softens as time goes on and to you, the relationship between the two Jedi seems almost akin to that of father and son.

Although you still feel a guilty, watching the two Jedi helps soothe your worries that Obi-Wan might face some severe reprimand on account of your actions.

Soon, it is time to see the guests off and the Jedi delegation is last to leave. You take advantage of the long conversation Master Jinn and your father apparently couldn't possibly have finished over dinner to say goodbye to Obi-Wan.

"I'm sorry, did you get in trouble?" You say quickly and quietly into his ear as you give him a formal, chaste kiss farewell on the cheek. "Yes, but it was worth it," he whispers back and a wide, boyish grin spreads across his face as he pulls away.

You can't do anything other than return it, and you look at each other for just a moment longer before he gives you a courteous nod of his head.

"Goodbye, Princess."

"Goodbye, Obi-Wan."

********************************************************

Now

You next see Obi-Wan a few weeks after your first glimpse of him at the market.

You almost approach him this time, but again, something holds you back.

He is heading towards Mos Eisley's space port and he has a more purposeful stride to his walk than when you last saw him.

Yet it's still not the walk of the composed, dignified man you once knew. In fact, his sense of urgency seems alarmingly close to panic.

Presumably, he is going off-world for some reason. He's not carrying much with him.

You hope he'll be back.

******************************************************** 12 years ago You are arriving on Coruscant, the sprawling city covered planet at the heart of the Galaxy, the seat of the Republic's power. Your father has sent you to make a representation to the Senate to officially declare an end to Vitis's neutrality.

It's not what you or your people want. But the Separatists have been pushing in on Vitisian interests on all sides in the past several months, disrupting trade routes, placing droid garrisons on nearby worlds, even muscling in on mineral mining operations on several moons within the Vitisian system. There is now really is very little choice. Vitis needs the protection of the Republic.

As you step off your ship, Obi-Wan Kenobi, now a Jedi Master, strides across the landing platform to greet you. You are so high up it gives the impression that the Coruscant sun which hangs large and low and golden in the sky behind you is about to swallow you whole. There is a strong breeze, which catches your hair and sends the flowing train of your green travelling dress snaking into the air like an emerald river.

Obi-Wan has grown into a fine looking man, tall and broad shouldered. He is clothed in traditional Jedi attire, a long brown robe draped elegantly over a cream tunic, fawn pants, and knee length, brown leather boots. His sandy hair is neatly cropped at the back and sides, with more length on the top and he had grown a distinguished golden beard since you last saw him.

"Princess," he says with a warm smile, those piercing blue eyes of his just as full of life as you remember.

"Master Kenobi," you respond, beaming, as he stoops to kiss you on both cheeks.

You'd been concerned that, in the almost two decades since you last saw him, his long years at war in service to the Jedi might have dulled that bright spark you so admired in the young man you once knew.

But you needn't have worried. As he escorts you to your chambers within the accommodation wing of the grand Senate building, you find yourself falling back into easy, cheerful conversation with him, as if no time has passed at all.

Obi-Wan's youthful spirit is still present but it has evolved into a sort of refined, contained exuberance that sits elegantly on him. He is as quick to laughter as ever and the eloquent wit he possessed even as a boy is just as sharp.

----------------------------------------------------------

You are sitting in the lavish parlour of the rooms you've been assigned. It is a fine suite, decorated in bright colours with a beautiful view out across Coruscant's endless cityscape. The arching floor to ceiling windows let in as much natural light at the metropolis' towering spires will allow.

Suddenly, you wonder what it would feel like to kiss Obi-Wan again, now that he has that dashing beard.

"Princess?"

Obi-Wan is standing at the sideboard, holding a steaming teapot and a glass mug out towards you. From the amused, questioning look on his face, you get the distinct impression that he has proffered the beverage more than once.

"I apologise, Master Jedi, I was parsecs away, yes please."

"Oh really?" he asks, conversationally as he drops into the lounge chair opposite you, and hands you the glass vessel across the low, marble table, "Where were you?"

"Well, I was actually thinking about when we first met, do you remember?"

It's not quite a lie.

"How could I forget?" He laughs, "Master Qui-Gon was furious with me."

A shadow of uncharacteristic sadness suddenly passes over his face.

Remembering the rumours you have heard of the violence of Qui-Gon Jinn's death at the hands of a mysterious, fearsome warrior, you put down your tea and reach across the table to take Obi-Wan's hands in yours.

"I was so very sorry to hear about Master Jinn, Obi-Wan," you say kindly.

"Thank you, it was a long time ago now."

He smiles, but it doesn't quite reach his eyes. He squeezes your hands gently before he stands up.

"I'll let you get settled."

Obi-Wan makes for the door and as he reaches for the handle, he turns and grins at you disarmingly.

"It really is very good to see you again, Princess."

----------------------------------------------------

You had only planned to stay on Coruscant for a week. However, politics being as they are, you have ended up staying for much longer.

One day, during a gap in the Senate proceedings, Obi-Wan takes you to visit the magnificent Jedi Temple. He wants to show you the terraced garden, knowing that you are missing the greenery of Vitis.

It is a paradise. You can't believe that at the centre of this endless cityscape is this bubble of serenity. The variety of plants that are grown here, the vibrancy of the colours, the wonderful aroma of a hundred different blossoms all intermingled - it makes you giddy.

You and Obi-Wan stay in the gardens for hours strolling and conversing and sitting together, then strolling some more.

"Strange how so many years have gone by yet I feel as if no time at all has passed between us," you say plainly as soon as the thought pops into your head.

You don't mean it to sound quite so romantic, but then you realise you really don't mind if that's how Obi-Wan choses to interpret it.

"I feel the same," he agrees and you are surprised to see a hint of bashfulness in the smile he offers.

You allow the back of your hand to graze against his. He turns his head and raises his eyebrows at you, an amused smirk of recognition on his face. He runs his knuckles along yours as he once did so many years ago.

Unlike then, Obi-Wan allows his hand to stay resting against yours this time and you walk like that, not quite hand in hand, through the vast gardens of the Temple long after the sun starts to set and the descent of the cool, evening air releases the sweet, heady scent of Coruscanti night blossoms all around you.

-----------------------------------------------------

The month you have spent on Coruscant has been stressful, busy, and filled with difficult negotiations and decisions which weigh heavily upon on you. Your father is in ailing health, ever since the death of your mother, and you know that soon you will be Queen. It is not a thought you relish, but now, at least, you know that when you take the oath to serve your people for the rest of your life as sovereign, you will be able to do so knowing you can hold your own on their behalf in the Rancor's den of the Republic Senate.

Yet, aside from all the worry, this has also been one of the happiest times of your life. When you are not working, and when he is not galivanting off-world on some Jedi business or another, you have spent every moment you can spare with Obi-Wan.

When the time finally comes to leave Coruscant, Obi-Wan volunteers to escort you back to Vitis. You'd sent Paltrum home weeks ago, poor old sod. City air has never agreed with him and you just knew his wife, Ina, would be worried sick about him.

As you finally land back on your home world, it is amid thunder and lightning. It is perhaps the most violent storm you've seen on Vitis in a decade.

You almost can't believe it when you and Obi-Wan step off the ship and see Old Paltrum soaked through, standing sentry at the palace doors.

"Paltrum, get inside, for the love of the Maker!" You scold the ancient Captain as you approach.

Obi-Wan is holding his cloak over your head in a valiant effort to keep you dry, but it is making not one bit of difference and you can feel the water seeping through your travelling clothes and into your bones.

"It's always been my job to watch for you, your Highness, I'm not about to stop now," Paltrum responds indignantly and you feel a pang of guilt for your rather patronising tone.

"I know, thank you, Captain," and you have to shout over the roar of the wind and the lashing rain, "It's late. I'll see my father in the morning, don't disturb him."

"As you wish, my lady," Paltrum says with a gracious nod, and you stifle a laugh as a deluge of water floods off the peak of his cap with the motion.

The Captain turns to Obi-Wan as he opens the huge, ornate doors to let you through.

"Master Kenobi, there are guest quarters ready for you in the east wing."

------------------------------------------------------------

Obi-Wan does not go to the east wing. Instead, you lead him towards your own chambers. Someone, thankfully, has lit a fire in your sitting room and you both sit cross-legged on the rug on the floor as close as is possible next to the roaring flames.

You've each taken off your sodden outerwear. If possible, Obi-Wan looks even more dashing wet through, his light undershirt clinging to his muscled torso underneath.

Neither of you have spoken since you sat down and as you both watch the flames from the fire reflect in the other's eyes, a tension-filled silence fills the room and sets your heart racing until you think it might burst.

When you can bear it no longer and you see no point in prolonging further pretence, you grab Obi-Wan by the front of his shirt and pull him into a kiss. It is not like your first, so many years ago. This is a deep and passionate embrace, full of desire. He responds immediately to your touch this time, his lips crashing almost roughly against yours.

The Jedi's hands are round your waist, at the nape of your neck, the small of your back, tangled up in your hair, seemingly all at once. You start to unbutton the fastenings on his shirt, tearing at them with one hand, while the other travels urgently down his chest towards his abdomen.

Suddenly, Obi-Wan leaps to his feet and turns his back to you, his broad shoulders rising and falling rapidly. As you've seen him do so often in recent weeks, he brings a hand to his face and rubs his beard. You think this new habit has probably replaced the old one of tugging on his Padawan braid.

"Have I upset you?" you ask quietly, the sting of confusion and rejection, worrying its way under your skin.

"No, Princess," his voice is an earnest whisper as he sits back down in front of you, grasping your hands in his, "Never."

"I still dream of that kiss we shared all those years ago," he admits suddenly, his voice low and full of longing.

Obi-Wan cups your face gently in his hands and looks at you, brows furrowed with emotion, his gaze penetrating right through your soul and setting it aflame.

"Now, seeing you again after all these years, I dream of what it would be like to hold you, to share your life, to....share your bed. These past weeks, I have yearned for you, you must know that."

Your foreheads are touching now, your nose presses into his face, and your fingers are suddenly entwined in his wet, golden hair. You can feel his heart raging against his chest as if it is fighting to escape, just as your own is.

"Obi-Wan..." you say, open-mouthed against his cheek, breathless with need for him.

He closes his eyes and brushes his lips against yours, but he doesn't quite allow himself to kiss you. Instead, after a moment of breathing each other in and out, he pulls away gently.

"But that's all they are," his voice has returned to it's usual refined timbre, "I'm sorry, but they are just dreams. It's all I can allow them to be."

His words are like a thousand tiny knives to your heart and you can't help feeling how cruel it was of him to give you hope and then tear it away like that. You stand up sharply and walk to the window, gazing out onto the storm raging across Vitis, a mere spring shower compared to the tumult now roiling within you.

"You must understand, I have pledged my life to the Jedi Order..."

"You were a child when you made that pledge..." you scoff and you despise the bitterness in your own voice.

He walks across the room to join you and puts his hand on your shoulder.

"All the same. It is made. And now we are at war. I have obligations, I have responsibilities to the Order and to the Republic"

You turn to him and place your hands on his broad chest. His heartbeat has slowed and you know you are losing him. It's like he's flicked some internal switch and raised a barrier between you.

"Then let us have each other, just this once," you whisper urgently, emboldened by desire and the fear that this chance to love him as you've always wanted is slipping away forever.

Obi-Wan touches your face and smiles sadly.

"If we did, I would never be able to leave you again, not for a single moment. I would be your prisoner forever."

"Then stay," you plead through tears, even though you already know his answer, "Stay with me."

"I can't."

***********************************************

Now

Obi-Wan Kenobi is sitting on a wall in Mos Eisley's market place. You are pleased to see that he looks much more like his old self. His head is held high and there is a look of calm on his handsome face. The clothes he is wearing are much neater than before, almost reminiscent of his old Jedi robes, and he has tidied up his hair and beard.

You walk towards him, but he doesn't notice you. You don't say his name. Instead, you quietly sit down next to him and let the back of your hand rest against his. You feel the strong tendons there tense.

He doesn't look at you. His head drops, and his eyes close as if he couldn't stand for it not to be you. Lightly, he moves his hand so that his knuckles rub gently against yours.

"Hello old friend," you say.

"Princess."

The use of your old title sounds natural and right on his tongue and you hope he never stops using it.

Obi-Wan finally looks up at you and his eyes, still dazzling shards of icy blue, gleam with tears. You reach out and touch his face, his stubble pleasantly rough under your hand. You take in the lines around his eyes, deeper now, and the distinguished flecks of silver in his beard and hair. The sight of him is more beautiful, more familiar to you than you can bear.

"You still look the same," you say, your voice shaking slightly.

He smiles and turns his face to gently kiss the heel of your palm that is resting against his cheek.

"And you are more radiant than ever."

He helps you take down your market stall early for the day and you take him into your home where you speak for hours in hushed tones and tell each other everything of your lives in the years since you were last together.

Then, as the twin suns of Tatooine set behind your little domed house in the sand, you lead him to your bed.

----------------------------------------------------

You are curled up on your side against Obi-Wan's solid, warm chest. For the first time in years you feel safe, entwined in his strong arms, listening to the steady, sonorous rhythm of his heartbeat.

"I have always loved you," he whispers tenderly in your ear, tucking away a stray lock of hair back from your cheek.

"And I you," you say and you mean it.

Still, you can't help but smile sadly as you think of the last time you saw him that fateful night of the storm of Vitis before everything fell apart.

"But of course, you already knew that," you add.

"I am sorry, truly."

"Obi-Wan..." you start to interrupt, worried that your words sounded resentful.

"For all the wasted years," he continues.

He needs to say this, you realise. So you let him.

"If I'd known how the Republic would fall, how the Jedi Order would fail, how the Empire... Well, I never would have denied us this."

He brings his lips to your shoulder and traces a trail of kisses down your arm. His beard tickles.

"No one could have known, Obi-Wan. You did what you thought was right at the time. We all did. And now here we are together again. We made it back to each other. Two old relics of a past age."

"Oh come now, we're not that old," he quips, and you are happy to hear that his tone has lightened again.

You grin mischievously and wriggle out of his arms to push him down onto his back and roll on top of him.

"Prove it," you whisper, as you come to rest on his abdomen and lean down to kiss him on the nose.

His eyes widen in surprise and then in boyish delight as he grasps you firmly by your hips. "Again?!" he laughs and he throws his head back in mirth at his own joke, his eyes squeezing shut so that they crinkle beautifully at the corners.

It is a joyful, youthful, transcendental sound and suddenly, you are back under the Whispering Tree in the green meadows of Vitis with a young Jedi, an unwritten future together stretching out endlessly in front of you.

#obi wan x reader #obi wan x female reader #star wars fanfiction #obi wan kenobi x reader #obi wan kenobi x female reader #star wars fanfic #obi wan kenobi fanfiction

[pilot-boi]

Jokes on you, I knew what a changeling was the whole time

Blake is a reformed changeling who used to be one of the baddies, paralleling her time with Adam’s faction. She’s still got some holes because trauma, but she IS reformed. Her darker color makes pones think she isn’t though

Ghira and Kali are king and queen of the hive :]

#rwby #blake belladonna #mine #rwby mlp #my art

[wild-west-wind]

I think in Star Wars the force is just evil. Like, the Jedi can do telekinesis, turn into ghosts, and do mind control, which is generally not a good power. The baddies shoot lightning and fly and become immortal and shit. It definitely seems like the force is pushing them to do bad things.

Why is this something people study to find good uses for, it seems like it's a pretty innately corrupting influence and the two factions are "Yay corruption!" and "But we will try to be corrupted less and direct a solid handful of people pretty consistently in the direction of evil." The force feels like guns in American politics, where people are either like "but how will i protect myself?" or "I will shoot anyone who looks at me funny" and far too few people say "hey maybe we shouldn't have these things in the first place."

[bloodgulchblog]

The more Halo books I read that dig into the nitty gritty of it, the more I agree with the Insurrectionists

Yeahhhhh....

The problem Halo has in the conflict between Earth and the colonies is that the most it can do to make the rebels the bad guys is having the rebel factions resorting to terror and doing bad things to civilians.

In the end, it can make specific rebel factions into "bad guys" who are willing to do shit like bomb space ports and kill people as collateral, but it can't unilaterally make the desire to get away from the UEG into an inherently bad action and the UEG/UNSC continue to do things that make that desire extremely rational.

(Also space colonization is ultimately a fantasy situation different from colonization of places on Earth because the factor of hey, people already live here isn't there so it eliminates the factor of the oppression of an indigenous population. Thus, in some ways, science fiction can be used to perpetuate storytelling tropes about the fantasy of a virgin wilderness wherein the territory "belonged" to no one and there was no moral objection to- *the tape warps and and warbles as I try to get this post back to the original topic*)

...Anyway.

It was a situation where the UEG is dealing with populations that do not wish to be governed by them, and the UEG has huge leverage to bludgeon them into compliance because a lot of the colonies are still dependent on other worlds for resources and are not completely 100% self-sustaining. And, if that's not enough, the UEG has a huge military.

From the UEG's perspective, it was economically important to maintain control of the colonies because that keeps access to the resources those colonies were producing, and (so they hoped) prevents independent factions from growing and becoming strong enough to challenge the UEG or threaten other worlds. Rule of law and order theoretically nice and tidy under the UEG government etc etc.

Halo does also raise the issue of extremely large and powerful corporations owning whole colonies and doing terrible things, but it's not like UEG oversight is actually making that problem better. They banned a lot of key forms of medical experimentation on humans within UEG territory (part of why the whole flash cloning issue was so legally serious) but like... it's not like UEG oversight is actually successfully preventing those abuses, and the UNSC is even committing some of them. Plus we have I think multiple examples of planets that were basically just corp towns where people were paying their wages back to the corporation for their living essentials and not earning enough to leave if they wanted to. (Charybdis IX was one, I swear there was another but my memory's not kicking out the name.)

So, supporters of the UEG genuinely believe they are offering stability and safety and peace to the vulnerable citizenry and protecting them from an uncertain/dangerous future under potential local tyrants, if the rebels will just put down their bombs and be civil. Meanwhile, supporters of leaving the UEG can point to a history of corruption and abuses and the desire to just go off and be left alone if the UEG would fucking let them.

Frankly, I don't actually know enough political theory to tease out what a "good" ending to this situation is for anyone. But that's not necessary for it to still be a useful problem in the fiction for making things very tense and full of ways for people to do awful things to one another while still believing they might somehow not be the baddies.

#asks #halo lore #i can sound authoritative but let's be real i'm just some nerd who works retail and can barely read a book anymore

[a-cosmic-elf]

My Crimson Fleet ship, the Red Mantis.

Obviously a Mantis/Razorleaf conversion, which made for a really interesting Crimson Fleet playthrough. I was such a baddie, but would still have the all the random Spacers running for their lives too!

Not the prettiest ship I’ve ever had, but what she lacked in looks she made up for by being ridiculously op. I once survived a fight with everyone above Akila!

I’d ticked off so many people that I had bounties in all of the factions.

When you have a ship like the Red Mantis, piracy in Starfield is so much fun. 😈

#starfield #starfield screenshots #starfield ships #the mantis #crimson fleet #the red mantis #cosmic plays

[bohemian-nights]

can we talk about how it was book daemon that spoke out against just attacking KL with all of their dragons and said that they should fight smart? show!daemon would never and i hate how they ruined him. in the book he's incredibly cruel, yes, but also strategic, intelligent. when he was a young man he was hotheaded and impulsive but by the time of the dance he was in his 50's, more mature and calm. in the show they made him into a bloodthirsty lunatic to make maegora look good. and it's funny considering how in the book it was rhaenyra that was wayyy more vengeful , impulsive and bloodthirsty. they had to ruin every single character in hotd to make maegora look good because in f&b she's literally the worst. like she's the villain of the entire dance she's insane.

i loved book alicent and her anne Boleyn vibes so muchhh ! book alicent actually fit the "girlboss" stereotype so much more than miss maegor so of course they had to ruin her character completely.

and the whole "friendship" plot? what is this bs???? i wanted anne boleyn vs bloody mary! why do people assume that feminism is always about how men are the true villains and women are the hopeless victims? rhaenyra and alicent are not victims, they are overprivileged power-hungry women that hated each other's guts and were the leaders of their factions. they are not friends. they were never friends. there is no need for them to be friends. this is so stupid.

nettles is one of my fav characters and i'm terrified for my girl. they will prob make her a "victim" of daemon or vilify her to make maegora and dumbmyra look good. rhaenyra was always the villain in nettles story, she's racist and tries to kill netty even though she never betrayed her and fought for her cause (while miss maegor sat on her ass in dragonstone).

maegora was so useless during the dance, she did NOTHING. that's prob why i lean towards team green - say what you will about aegon, (i'm not even talking about the show version of him) he fought until the very end.

Everything you said anon x1000 👏🏽This show really has become the how Miss Maegor(and to a slightly lesser extent Alicent) was wronged by the patriarchy show. Everything else has been put on the back burner, storylines, and characterization have been taken away to prop up this racist flop. She is the opposite of a girl boss(yep book!Alicent fits that description better).

I’m not going to get into how other characters have been butchered, had their light dimmed, or look outright idiotic to make Missy Anne look better(Aegon, Laena, Baela, Rhaena, Helaena, hell even some of Corlys and Rhaenys actions don’t make sense). Or how certain characters who show the true nature of her character are nowhere to be found(Nettles; her almost victim).

Daemon wasn’t perfect in the books, but he comes off as almost mentally unstable in the show. At best one can liken him to a spoiled toddler throwing tantrums and lashing out cause his big bro doesn’t love him/ solely focus all his attention on him. They are actively taking away what little redeeming qualities he has(competent military man, loving husband to Laena, Nettles🙃) to turn him into some big baddie.

Alicent has been made into a weak and confused woman when she was a fully functioning capable woman in the books. To be honest, Olivia Cooke’s acting is probably saving this character because her actions from episode 8 on don’t make any sense. (Why the hell would anyone still want to be friends with someone who cared less about their child being maimed)?

Ryan keeps saying Fire & Blood is biased(debatable considering we have three different accounts of events and one of them is from someone who would lick Miss Maegor’s butt free of charge), but the version of the Dance he’s telling definitely isn’t the truth. This is crap borderline fanfiction(I’ve read better fanfiction).

#bnasks #bnask #anti hotd #daemon targeryan #they screwed you over zaddy #and so many others #alicent hightower #anti miss maegor

[delta-queerdrant]

the best allies we could have (Alliances, s2 e14)

If Voyager’s Kazon arc has a peak, it’s “Alliances.” Here it is, the dramatic turning point in our understanding of Delta Quadrant politics! This episode has a kernel of something almost compelling, but like much of season two, it’s sadly undercut by storytelling failures.

We cold-open on a firefight with the Kazon. Star Trek battle scenes are so silly; why do the consoles explode? I guess the claustrophobic mayhem is a holdover from the nuclear submarine aesthetics of TOS. I will never not be amused by how Janeway’s hair explodes every time they’re in a fight. Are there no bobby pins in space?

A crewman dies in the battle, and we learn that two more have died in previous Kazon encounters, our first casualties since Durst got de-faced (lol) by the Vidiians. The tension is real - redshirt deaths hit differently when a small crew has trauma-bonded in space.

A faction of the crew wants to buy off the pursuing Kazon with Federation technology, but Janeway won’t turn her back on the Prime Directive. The Starfleet/Maquis divide, usually an afterthought, feels momentarily real. We’re treated to a three-way debate between Janeway’s lawful good authoritarianism, Chakotay’s collaborative ethos, and Tuvok’s detached realpolitik. “This isn’t a democracy, Chakotay, I can’t run this ship by consensus,” Janeway says, briefly inviting a utopian, communitarian vision of a Voyager actually run by consensus. But even she’s swayed by Tuvok’s (frankly, bullshit) suggestion that a temporary alliance with the Kazon has the potential to make the Delta Quadrant more stable as long as Voyager doesn’t actually hand over technology.

This is arguably a weak leadership moment for Janeway, who can’t adapt to the demands of her environment or crew, but maybe it’s okay to be a rules-y Taurus if you surround yourself with people who correct your worst impulses.

Janeway reaches out to Seska to try to broker a deal, which is fun because it’s genuinely unexpected and makes Chakotay so squirmy. Meanwhile Neelix makes contact with a Kazon acquaintance. They meet up in what I believe is the first “hive of scum and villainy” of the series. You know these people are up to no good because there are alien bikini girls!

Here Neelix encounters the Trabe, another local alien species who have their own story to tell. The episode both becomes interesting and loses the plot completely.

The Trabe tell Voyager that “over thirty years ago,” they enslaved the Kazon in an apartheid society. When the Kazon rose up, the Trabe lost everything. Now the Trabe are a landless people still persecuted by those they oppressed, even though decades have passed and many of the Trabe were children when the Kazon overthrew them.

Janeway is delighted - instead of allying with the Kazon, they can ally with the friendly Trabe! Chakotay agrees - the Trabe, after all, have openly acknowledged the harm their people caused.

Meanwhile, me: OMG NOOOO THEY FOUND WHITE PEOPLE IN SPACE

Previously I wrote about the Kazon as a parable for midcentury US race relations. Before I rewatched “Alliances,” I genuinely thought they were just clearance-rack racialized space baddies, but here the parallels to white Boomer experiences of the 1960s uprisings are unmistakable. It’s a resonant scene, but watching our command team fall over each other to befriend their new pals is… stressful.

The Trabe build on Janeway's proposal: together they’ll bring the Kazon together and negotiate for peace. But when the meeting begins, the viewer can’t help but notice that the Kazon seem like the most reasonable people in the room. They don’t trust the Trabe or Janeway, and they have a much better read on the power dynamics at play than Janeway does. Because the meeting is a fucking trap.

This episode is such a bummer. Maybe I'm being too charitable, but it feels like a genuine attempt at anti-white supremacist storytelling that missed the mark. Janeway, our audience surrogate, is presented with a complex political situation and immediately latches onto the group she identifies with: white-presenting people who have claimed the moral high ground after centuries as oppressors. Then the rug is pulled out from under her. White liberalism as a facade for violence is a very mid-nineties dynamic.

The full impact of this plot twist relies on the viewer sharing Janeway’s white myopia. If you don’t implicitly trust the Trabe (or the writers), you spend the whole episode screaming at the television. Why are our protagonists so clueless?

“I hope there's a lesson for all of us in this,” Janeway says in the final scene. “Although some of the species we've encountered here have been peaceful, others seem governed only by their own self-interests.” It’s not a good look when our hero has traveled 70,000 light years to learn that… politics are a thing? And why didn’t her command team didn’t save her from herself? Are you telling me that Chakotay, the Indigenous anti-authoritarian militant, is this politically naive?

If “Alliances” is at times a smart portrait of how an oppressor mindset operates, it’s undermined by an offensive caricature of resistance. Violent resistance absolutely can be fueled by an ideology of separatism and racial hatred, but the Kazon aren’t a resistance movement; they’ve won. Yet the Kazon resemble white peoples' worst fears of postcolonial "failed states." It feels like the writers genuinely believe that the political and social problems of formerly dispossessed people are of their own making, not recognizing the ways that white supremacy and economic imperialism still actively shape the lives of formerly colonized peoples. The Kazon only make sense in a universe where the Trabe are still economically and politically exploiting them, and that's not the universe we're shown.

We needed an episode with this shape, one that sets up the hard political choices of later seasons, and I can accept that requires our characters to exercise truly poor judgment. But this attempt at gritty politics doesn’t feel grounded in anything real, and the result feels disappointingly thin.

2/5 triangular tables.

#star trek #star trek voyager #kazon #janeway's hair #space racism

[allelitewrestlings]

#jade cargill #red velvet #leila grey #aew #aewedit #all elite wrestling #photoshoots #ours: edits #maker: r #* #faction: baddies #tbs championship

[xgamingninjax]

The thing that really bums me out about Sonny Kiss non renewal is that TK thinks she has a lot of potential. And that they could be back if they get really hot elsewhere.

What was Dark/Elevation for then? Was it not a means to elevate and showcase your roster that doesn’t get opportunities compared to others? Was it not meant for additional story and depth?

Sonny Kiss was, and still is, “hot”. Her storyline with Joey was perfection. There was clearly thought put into it between both wrestlers and what production would assist with.

Sure after that arc Sonny’s ‘story’ had a rough patch but that didn’t diminish her in ring skill whatsoever. She got high praises no matter the match she was in wether singles, duos, trios.

Why does she have to get “hot elsewhere” for you to notice her when she was in your company, on your roster, in your contacts. CALL THEM.

When Jade formed the Baddies, had dedicated sections, signs, hashtags, and a fresh storyline to AEW guess who was one of the wrestlers they teased on social media about joining Jade, Velvet, and Kiera? Sonny Kiss.

There could have been something monumental in AEW’s women’s division with that. It should have went somewhere. Her peers were clearly supportive of the idea. They were clearly close in the locker room and on media, even took photoshoots in matching gear. The Baddies were at their peak then.

Jade and The Baddies could have come out with Sonny Kiss, supported her matches and vice versa. It would have all be done in good light.

Sonny Kiss was perfect on Ring of Honor.

Was I a fan of the faction name Trustbusters? No. But how many times has AEW swept a concept under the rug when things don’t work out? It could have been tossed and no one would bat an eye. Faction name aside, the group offered vastly different styles to the program.

Ring of Honor has way better booking in the women’s division compared to Dynamite and Collision, in my opinion. Production looks, feels, and sounds vastly different from those shows as well. Each women’s match has more time compared to what we are given on tv and even if it isn’t they definitely feel better utilized.

I think they should have and still could dive into mixed tags and intergender wrestling there.

Sonny could have wrestled Abadon. Jade Cardgill, Leila Grey, Red Velvet, Kiera Hogan (during or after the storyline of the inevitable split of the Baddies) Kris Statlander. Penelope Ford. Trish Adora. To name a few.

Take a chance on the women’s division. Dare to be different.

Show more interest in what could be.

#aew #all elite wrestling #Ring of Honor #ROH #Sonny Kiss #I want Sonny Kiss to be booked where she is valued #I want her to be able to fully showcase her skills #where she is able to be her authentic self without being under the scrutiny of others #She is truly one of a kind a deserves only good things #🌹 #wrestling rambles

[kyraxyrespace]

Evolution of White Knight in RWBY (Volume 5)

Episode 5.7 “Rest and Resolutions” has ¾ of Team RWBY and the remainder of Team JN_R having a happy reunion. Weiss and Jaune are shown to be sitting next to each other and eating, something that would be inconceivable back in Volume 1. This shows that Weiss is clearly comfortable sitting next to him. He’s invested in her story about what she dealt with in Atlas (like summoning a Boarbatusk accidentally), and she’s invested in his story about when they lost the map. Weiss is even wearing a smile as he tells it, and doesn’t say anything mocking or degrading; she’s happy to see all her friends, including him. When Jaune is taking all the dirty dishes to the kitchen, commenting about how he might be sick, Yang refers to him by his nickname “Vomit Boy.” This gets Weiss giggling, and Nora refers to her as her old nickname, Ice Queen.

Episode 5.11 “The More the Merrier” has the team of RW_Y, JN_R, Oscar and Qrow fighting against Cinder’s faction, which includes Lionheart, Raven, Vernal, Mercury, Emerald, and Hazel. The group splits up to take on the baddies, and Weiss ends up facing off with Vernal. Vernal is clearly more skilled than Weiss, continuously impeding the girl’s chances to summon her Arma Gigas. Vernal is able to deplete Weiss’ aura, and the girl cries out from the pain, which Jaune notices and is clearly worried about. Cinder takes this moment to mock him, which angers him. When Cinder realizes Jaune has a death wish and doesn’t actually care about dying, so long as it will save his friends, she decides to be a bitch and sends a javelin (stylized like Pyrrha’s Milo, just to be extra bitchy) and chucks it at an unsuspecting Weiss, despite Jaune’s pleas. Before the episode ends, we see tears falling down his eyes, because this is the second time Jaune has been unable to protect someone he cares about.

Episode 5.12 “Vault of the Spring Maiden” immediately picks up where the prior episode left off. Jaune, forgetting his fight with Cinder, rushes to Weiss’ side, picking her up so he can inspect her injury. He is clearly devastated and terrified of her dying, pleading: “No, it wasn’t supposed to be like this! Please! We can’t lose anyone else.” His desperation awakens his semblance, which transfers his aura to hers and powers it up, letting her aura heal the injury. When he realizes he has a chance to save her, he’s happy and focuses on nothing but that task.

Episode 5.13 “Downfall” has Jaune continuing to heal Weiss, and is ecstatic when she stirs. They have a light banter, and it’s clear Jaune is relieved that she is going to make it. A little while later, Weiss is well enough to sit up, and tells Jaune to keep up whatever he is doing. When Weiss is fully healed again, she rejoins the fight, summoning a Queen Lancer to do battle with Cinder’s faction. Jaune, from a distance, smiles happily, glad to see her well, alive and participating in the fight.

#RWBY #RWBY Volume 5 #rwby white knight #weiss schnee x jaune arc #weiss schnee #jaune arc #Kyra's White Knight Evolution

[thatndginger]

The Conspiracy Corner

Because @leebrontide asked and I am always happy to delve into my most visibly deranged project, I'm gonna go into some details on my Shapeshifter Conspiracy Corner.

Below the cut to save all y'alls dashes lol

On the 'first' wall - AKA the wall I can stare directly at from my chair - we have the Main Trio section. It'd dedicated entirely to Kerr, Jay, and Warrick. As well as their relationships to each other.

As you can tell, it's an insane mish-mash of aesthetic images, silly tumblr & twitter posts, and memes. Each character has their own section within the whole, but they all kinda bleed together and marge.

On the opposite wall:

This is the 'side character' wall. And yeah, there's a lot of side characters lol. This section is split into the various factions. There's the witches, the vampires, the police, the Pack, and 'The Baddies'. I added in a lot more inspiration images for what I see the city of Moressau looking like, and built up what each section of the city looks like with it's corresponding faction.

And lastly, the newest section of the wall~

The Montrose family wall.

This one's funny, because in the main storyline, the Montrose family doesn't even factor into things until way down the line. But I have perpetual brainrot about this incredibly dysfunctional group of people. So they get their own section to themselves lol

aaand that's pretty much the Shapeshifter Conspiracy Corner. I'm in the slow process of setting one up for War Witch, but that one is a much slower process since War Witch is still very much in the fetus stage.

#WIP: Shapeshifter #Shapeshifter Conspiracy Corner

[eikonbound]

I've been tossing the idea of writing Barnabas around in my head for a while and I came to realize that I am interested in writing him, but his story arc in the game makes me soooo miffed. I wanted him to have more autonomy in the game. I wish that, even if he did have faith in a higher power of some sort, he hadn't totally acquiesced to it. I really wanted Barnabas to be the Big Baddie in the story and be motivated by the fact that he truly does believe he's ultimately doing right by the world.

I'm going to put this under a read more bc my thoughts got lengthy.

I'm going to add him to my muse list but stick to a specific verse where:

He was still born in the outer continents and, along with his mother, was a follower of the Circle of Malius.

They still relocated to Ash as the blight spread and joined other followers of the Circle of Malius who were already there.

But unlike other Dominants who awaken with their Eikon, Odin is more like Anima from FFX, where Seymour's mother sacrificed herself (against Seymour's wishes actually) so she could become an aeon.

In Barnabas' situation, Odin is an Eikon who the Circle of Malius believes can only be awakened by offering a sacrifice from the potential Dominant -- the stronger the connection, the more likely it is that Odin will choose that person as his Dominant. But according to their legend it doesn't always work; Odin may not see them as worthy or strong enough. And in those cases, there have been followers who sacrificed multiple loved ones (most of the time willingly, sometimes not) in the hopes of becoming a Dominant only to be refused each time. It's been many, many years since Odin has deemed someone a worthy Dominant, to the point where some people wonder if it ever truly happened at all or if it's just the stuff of legends.

I think maybe Barnabas' mother sensed something very strong and resilient in her son that made her think he had a good chance of being chosen by Odin. It was probably something she put off for as long as she could for the sake of raising her son. But once the conflict between the religious factions grew too dangerous, she wanted him to have a fighting chance. She would rather die in service of her religion and her son, even if it wasn't a guarantee, rather than the way she died in canon.

Similar to his canon story (according to Ultimania lore, since I like drawing from some of it!) he was 18 when she died. Unlike Seymour who was staunchly against his mother sacrificing herself to become an aeon, I think by the time Barnabas was 12 or 13 he understood the teachings well enough, and his mother well enough, to see that she would do anything to keep him alive. And I'm sure that he himself also felt the potential to offer something greater for his religion and peers.

So when his mother realizes their time has run out, he sacrifices her as an offering to Odin, who miraculously does grant his wish and chooses Barnabas to be his Dominant. Unlike Anima, his mother does not become Odin herself -- the Eikon is his own essence. His mother served as proof that he would give up even his most beloved relationship to act in service of the Eikon.

He still creates Sleipnir at this time. I'm not 100% sure what I want to do as far as how that pact was created between them but I like the idea of Sleipnir still being his closest advisor & confidant, and extremely important to Barnabas/Waloed as a whole.

And since the followers of the religion have been waiting for someone to be chosen as Odin's Dominant, they very eagerly follow his lead as Barnabas begins the process of taking over territories in Ash.

He already has a p big ego and superiority complex in canon (he is a King after all) and I could see him having been chosen by Odin in this verse being a reason why he wouldn't bend a knee to a god. I think he'd be more likely to try and become one himself.

I definitely have blank spots to fill in, such as why Barnabas stopped aging at a certain point, what Sleipnir's presence as Odin's steed means personally to Barnabas, and what his overall plans are for how he envisions himself granting the world salvation. I'm sure Ultima will have something to do with all of this but I really don't want to write Barnabas as a conduit for Ultima, simply doing his bidding and being manipulated by him. I'm also not sure how I want to integrate the Mythos aspect to it (though I think it could be v fun to plot out!) so that's a WIP for sure.

I normally don't write my muses in a way where I would only write them in a specific verse; I love being able to plop them in various ones and see how it goes. But the canon version of Barnie's story is so meh to me so I'm putting this out there in case anyone is interested! And I'd love to do more world building for individual plots with partners where the verse I've created for Barnabas can work with their HCs for their muse.

I figure he'll be a separate category muse on my page (request? guest? idk I'll figure it out) with an asterisk that makes it clear I'm only writing him with major changes to his background. I'll add all of this to a verse page for him soon and fill in those blanks as time goes on :3 Thank u for reading about my new terrible equestrian muse.

#excited & a lil nervous to write him but mostly excited! #lmk if you're interested and we can plot together :^) #also i'm gonna take a small nap & do some writing here later! #ch: barnabas #hc: barnabas

[atomic-lola]

Is Morrowind worth playing for the first time 20 years later? 

Obviously, it depends on who you are as a player. I'm a huge Elder Scrolls (TES) nerd, and my entry point for the series was Oblivion, and I figured it was about time I try the 3rd game, Morrowind. 

My overall impressions of (a moderately modded) Morrowind? Eh, it was pretty fun, but I wouldn't replay it again necessarily. I know lots of people absolutely love it and it's their favorite TES game, but that may be a little bit of nostalgia talking (I have a theory that your first TES game is your favorite TES game), since the game has some real flaws, given its age and despite that. The main quest has some weird jumps in pacing and the whole main plot seems rather fuzzy and confusing while you're completing the first zillion fetch quests. And there's a lot of fetch and other trivial quests in this game overall. I also did not enjoy how there's essentially no overarching plot (really) for most of the factions or guilds, as there is in later TES games. I completed the Fighter's, Mage's, Imperial Cult, and House Hlaalu factions, and they're mostly just a big ole bunch of fetch quests that aren't really tightly connected. I also got really tired of the "wikipedia links" that compose dialog in this game: you end up just bouncing around all the links and conversations become very confusing and disjointed. My biggest beef, however, was the dang map. It's not great, and since there's no quest markers, you can end up wandering around forever trying to find something for a fetch quest. The wiki has a fantastic map, and I couldn't have completed this game without alt-tabbing to view it, but a good map is absolutely essential for an open-world game, in my opinion: it's better for playability and accessibility. The journal is also a disaster in that it's purely chronological. This is typical of games of its era (looking at you, original Baldur's Gate), but it's really frustrating to deal with.

Those gripes out of the way, there's a lot I did enjoy about Morrowind:

1. The vibes are fantastic. It feels like an alien world. Bethesda did a great job designing a fantasy setting that is just ~weird~ and immersive

2. There's multiple paths to completing some guild quests and the main quest, which I appreciated

3. Characters really reacted to you based on faction, stage of the main quest you're in, etc.

4. Exploration is super fun. The best part of this game, I feel, is just wandering around - without somewhere to be! If you're trying to find somewhere in particular it is frustrating as hell - enjoying the vibes and going spelunking in random dungeons

5. The dungeons are fun! they're short and have interesting loot and baddies to fight

Overall, I enjoyed my time in Morrowind, but for me personally, I don't have much interest in trying out other character builds or factions beyond what I already have. I think it's worth trying if: 1) you're a TES nerd, or 2) you're an old-school RPG fan or someone who has the patience to enjoy old-school approaches to journals, stats, combat, etc. If you're someone who wants or needs a more modern RPG experience, then I think you can pass on this (or watch a Let's Play on Youtube).

If you're interested in knowing which mods I used and recommend for my playthrough as a first-timer, I'll be sharing those soon in another post, so stay tuned!

#morrowind #tes morrowind #morrowind screenshots #morrowind review #first time playing morrowind #video game review

[lostsometime]

Ok so from my understanding so far, there’s at least 3 different factions trying to influence the Neverafter and the party:

The “good” fairies, like the Fairy Godmother and the Fairy with Turquoise Hair, who want to get the stories back on the rails. They think they’re acting in everyone’s best interests by restoring the “happily-ever-after”s, but don’t really seem to care about or value peoples’ individual desires or free will. Cinderella seems to think all the fairies are in this together, including the “bad” fairies - for instance, that the fairy that cursed Rosamund, who was therefore setting up the story and the eventual ending, was not actually opposed to the others. Seems to be supported by the fact that Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother was the same fairy who originally cursed Gerard - acting as a “bad” fairy for the sake of setting up the story.

The Princesses - chiefly Cinderella and Snow White, though they’re also looking to recruit Rosamund (and maybe the little mermaid, if they can find her). They want to break free of narrative constraints and give everyone free will, which they think is possible if they can get Rosamund on their side, since her story is one of the big ones.

The Stepmother - she is a fairy, but she’s clearly not aligned with the other fairies, including the other “wicked” fairies, as evidenced by her trying to kill the Fairy Godmother. However, she’s also actively opposing the princesses, as she is trying to hide Rosamund from Cinderella. Her ultimate motivation is still mysterious. I don’t know what the fuck she wants! Possibly she just wants to expand the “times of shadow,” and keep the stories on the narrative rails but just, with bad endings and tragedy? Like she doesn’t want to free people from the shackles of Story, she just wants the baddies to win? Maybe she just wants her own personal power. Unclear!

then there’s also the Gander (who may or may not be allied with any of the above) and the Goose (likewise). However, the Gander is pretty clearly NOT on the side of the fairies, since they know nothing about the book he created. The Gander and Goose appear to be opposed, but the Goose specified that they are part of the proverb “What’s good for the goose is good for the gander,” which suggests that they are more like 2 parts of the same whole, and neither can really “defeat” the other.

#neverafter #d20 neverafter #meta #my meta